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4 Tips to Help You Raise Money for Mission Trips, Summer Camps, You Name It!

You know that moment when you find a really cool shirt at the store, then you look at the price tag and practically throw it back on the rack? Yeah, we do, too.

Sometimes it’s easy to get this feeling when you’re interested in a mission trip or considering an investment in an experience like summer camp. But it doesn’t have to be like that. If you feel like God is calling you to serve overseas or try a new opportunity, don’t let a price tag scare you away.

Even though as a high school or college student you don’t exactly have access to a lot of funds, there are creative ways that you can raise money. Read on for our best tips and tricks when it comes to fundraising!

1. Use your talents!

Are you a musician, artist, or baker? Focus on where your talents lie to find the perfect fundraising idea.

That’s what college student Jane White did to raise money for a mission trip to Honduras. She sings and plays piano, so she asked her church to let her use the building for a concert to raise funds. Halfway through the show, she shared mission trip photos and information with her audience.

“I just left a plate by the door for people to drop money into as they left,” Jane explained. “It was pretty low-pressure, and certainly anonymous. The money from that night alone put me well on my way to being funded. Doing the concert showed that I was willing to put in work myself.”

2. Don’t be afraid to ask.

Amazing blessings can come to you when you just ask for what you need. Jane’s church let her use the facility for her concert. Don’t be afraid to ask people for help.

Think about the network you have just from taking part in school, church, and extracurricular activities. Do you frequent a local business? Many of them are used to sponsoring or donating to local causes (a good place to start is your town’s Chick-fil-A!).

List your connections and figure out who you can ask to partner with you, and whether what you need is just using a building for a night, or something more complicated like organizing an ultimate frisbee tournament.

3. Apply for scholarships.

Did you know that the Internet can be your best friend when it comes to fundraising? There could be mission trip scholarships and other helpful funds in your area that you don’t even know about.

4. Give your worries over to God.

This is both the easiest and hardest part of committing to a mission trip or other opportunity.

Recall that Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

It’s easy to look at a dollar amount and think there’s no way you can meet it, but that’s nothing compared to the power of our God. Pray daily, work hard, and glorify God wherever He calls you, whether it’s across town or across the ocean.

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That’s a wrap for fundraising tips! Comment if you liked one, and make sure to check out the link below to find out more about our summer camps.